Welcome to the Exceptional Nurse Blog! I am Donna Maheady, EdD, ARNP, founder of www.ExceptionalNurse.com, the nonprofit resource committed to inclusion of people with disabilities in nursing. We facilitate inclusion of students with disabilities in nursing education programs and foster resilience and continued practice for nurses who are, or become, disabled. We celebrate abilities, share resources and examples of nurses with disabilities who work with and without accommodations.

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Thursday, May 19, 2016

Summer camp nursing can be a win-win experience for nurses with disabilities!

Did you attend Girl or Boy Scout, YWCA, YMCA or a religion affiliated camp? Did you ever work or consider working as a camp nurse?If you are a nurse with a disability, why not explore camp nursing possibilities?Audrey Demmitt, RN shares the benefits she gained from the experience.Several years ago, Audrey was a camp nurse for the Georgia
Lions Camp for the Blind. She recounts, "I was struggling with my own vision loss at the
time, but still working as a school nurse. I spent seven weeks caring for
campers of all ages from preschoolers to seniors. It was an inspiring and
empowering experience not only for the campers, but for me as well."

Audrey Demmitt, RN

"I learned so much from observing the campers and playing
alongside them. They had such exuberance and eagerness to try new things like
climbing the rock wall and horseback riding. One six year old boy who was
totally blind since birth conquered the climbing wall while his mother and camp
staff looked on through misty eyes. When he reached the top and rang the bell,
he was giddy with accomplishment and exclaimed "Look at me! I'm so high
up!"

"Well, I came away with a new "can do" attitude
after watching campers conquer new tasks. I learned to try to do things in a
new way. I enjoyed being part of the visually impaired community, realizing I
was one of them for the first time, which helped me accept my disability. I
came away empowered to learn new skills to live with my blindness. Somehow, the
kids instilled in me a new-found courage to move forward by watching their
fearless approach to activities."

"I learned to play again and have fun in bubbles,
water and mud. I played beep ball (adapted baseball for the blind) and loved
it. I learned at the talent show that we ALL have talents. We celebrated and
shared our unique talents and abilities, while our disabilities faded into the
background. I was truly inspired by campers' attitudes and accomplishments as
well as the staff's dedication to serve this population. My time at the Lions
camp rivals my summer camp experience as a child. It was most memorable and
life-changing."Working as a summer camp nurse can help nurses with disabilities gain new experiences, maintain nursing skills, have fun and even learn coping/compensatory skills from the campers.

Why not give it a try? There are specialty camps for a wide range of campers with different disabilities.

Please share your thoughts and experiences as well as any camps looking for an "exceptional" camp nurse.